Remote control cameras are commonly used in situations where a user cannot accompany the camera due to the environment or activity which is being captured. One (1) common situation is for security and monitoring purposes. Nature and landscape photography is also becoming increasingly popular due to the ease of sharing one's photographs over the World Wide Web. With the addition of “street view” to many internet based mapping tools, users can get an on the ground snap shot of an area or even live action of events.
The most common problem encountered during any of these activities is positioning and holding the camera in a desired location. The use of tripods and other stabilization systems have attempted to solve these problems and have greatly increased the use of modern camera systems. U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,704, issued in the name of Appleman, describes a camera support device comprising a vertical rod, a camera mount on the top of the rod, a positioning bracket, an upper support arm having variable length adjustment, and support pad for bracing the device against a user's body to provide stability when using the camera. U.S. Pat. No. 5,260,731, issued in the name of Baker, Jr., describes a camera mount for a vehicle comprising a vehicle door or window mounted camera support bracket having an “L”-shape an cooperating clamping legs that engage the window top or door. Such bases allow the use longer exposure times, a stable camera and perhaps most important, save the user from having to hold the camera at all times.
While there are many mounts available for indoor and security use, the presence of mounts for the motor vehicle is lacking and pictures taken from the inside of a motor vehicle must contend with dirty glass, unfocused pictures, and the like. Attempts to mount cameras to the exterior of vehicles commonly suffer from a lack of superior adjustability and function which are common among stationary camera mounts and inconvenient methods of attaching the camera mount. U.S. Pat. No. 5,835,808, issued in the name of Parker et al., describes a vehicle camera mount that is supported on the exterior of a vehicle door comprising a plurality of vacuum mounts, horizontal supports, and vertical supports and providing a position adjustable camera platform mount that holds the camera while reducing unintended movement of the camera due to the movement of the vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 6,056,450, issued in the name of Walling, describes a camera support device with telescoping pole comprising a stable support base, a telescoping pole and a tiltable camera mount on the top of the pole and monitor and providing a means to elevate a camera above an operator.
Other the relevant attempts to provide support and mounting devices for cameras include several U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,173,725, issued in the name of Giles et al., which describes a camera mount for a boat; 6,196,504, issued in the name of Lemke, which describes a positive-lock-and-release device for camera mounting; 6,244,759, issued in the name of Russo, which describes an adjustable camera support; 6,698,942, issued in the name of Ward, which describes a camera mount; and 7,217,044, issued in the name of Marks, Jr., which describes a camera system.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives, each of these references suffers from one (1) or more of the aforementioned disadvantages. Accordingly, there is a need for a means by which a digital camera mount for the exterior of a motor vehicle can be provided which also allows for remote control of the mount. The development of the invention herein described substantially departs from the conventional solutions and in doing so fulfills this need.